The first time you played Guitar Hero (or Rock Band), you probably wished that someone would invent a real guitar that could teach you how to play in the same manner. Shortly afterward, the gTar was invented, that showed budding riff-makers how to shred thanks to a series of helpful LEDs embedded in the neck. All you had to do was place your fingers on the strings where the lights lit up and, hey presto, you were a rock god. Now, the company behind the gTar is back, and has taken the same idea, but applied it to a piano, in the form of Keys.

It's been a while since we've heard anything out of the gTar camp -- nearly half a year in fact, when the company announced pre-orders the week of CES. This morning the Kickstarted instrument manufacturer broke the silence by announcing that it'll be opening up its SDK for both iOS and Javascript, letting developers create apps for browsers and Apple's mobile operating system. The learning-friendly instrument already has a bit of a head start, as it's presently compatible with more than 150 apps, according to the company. Compatibility also extends to Ableton Live, via an "unofficial custom script" that makes it possible to use the gTar's fretboard as a control panel for the popular DJ software.

Here's a fun bit of news we're hoping doesn't get lost in the CES deluge: Kickstarter success story Incident is finally ready to start moving on its rock 'n roll iPhone dock, the gTar. The smartphone-friendly educational instrument is opening up for pre-orders this week, at $399 a pop. Josh from the company tells us that the first units have arrived at Incident headquarters and will start shipping next week, once all the requisite QAing is done. The iPhone 5 will also work with the device, if you've got the Apple adapter. A native gTar adapter, meanwhile, is coming later this year, "when Lightning connector components are made available to third-party suppliers." Those docks can be swapped in at home by users.

When we first caught word of the gTar, it was a bit of a mystery, with an online presence amounting to little more than a low-res press shot, an enigmatic YouTube teaser and assorted specs coming out of South By Southwest and various investor sites. This week, however, brings TechCrunch Disrupt to town -- and Incident Technologies has braved some unseasonable New York City storms to come along for the ride. We managed to snag some time with the iPhone-docking instrument ahead of its debut on stage this afternoon.

Details are still a little scarce -- but here's what we know: the company is looking for a summer release for the educational instrument. In the meantime, Incident has thrown up a Kickstarter page, so you can get in on the action. A limited number of investors can get their hands on a unit for the low, low donation price of $350, once it goes into production. That's $100 off the estimated $450 retail price point -- not cheap, sure, but there are a couple of things to note here. First, we played with the gTar for a bit and we can say, definitively, that this isn't just some cheap, plasticky toy -- this feels like a real, amateur-level electric guitar. Also, for whatever it's worth, that price also includes a backpack carrying case -- so that's something, right?

Follow along after the break to get some fingers-on impressions.Gallery-155829

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Mon, 21 May 2012 15:21:00 -040021|20241861http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/29/incident-techs-gtar-gets-teased-remains-largely-silent-video/%3Futm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%26ncid%3Drss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/29/incident-techs-gtar-gets-teased-remains-largely-silent-video/http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/29/incident-techs-gtar-gets-teased-remains-largely-silent-video/%3Futm_source%3DFeed_Classic%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DEngadget%23commentsWhat you see above is the gTar, an upcoming electronic musical instrument from Bay Area-based startup, Incident Technologies. It's got what appears to be an iPhone docked in the pick-guard and it looks pretty cool lit up in the teaser video after the break. Beyond that, there's not a ton of information about the thing available online, but we did some digging and have pieced together a pretty good idea about the thing. The device made an appearance at South by Southwest earlier this month, and bits and pieces have made their way into the web by way of startup site AngelList and social networks like Facebook, Twitter and, of course, YouTube. A posting on the former describes it as "a consumer electronics device that enables an interactive music entertainment experience to anyone without any kind of previous musical knowledge."

From the looks of it, the thing is a little bit Guitar Apprentice and a little bit Tabber. Unlike the plasticky Guitar Apprentice, however, this device looks like a genuine guitar (strings and all), albeit one with a light up fretboard for Tabber-like educational purposes and a "docked mobile device." The guitar also makes it possible to share music socially, though it's not entirely clear whether this is accomplished via the docked smartphone or an external output like a PC, though given the company's connections to the developer community, we suspect that both will be options, be it through built-in functionality or available APIs. The gTar is also being positioned as a music creation device, rather than simply an educational tool (à la Tabber) or a simple overblown Guitar Hero-style controller.